DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH  
OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATOR  
LOCAL HEALTH PERSONNEL  
(By authority conferred on the director of public health by section 2495 of 1978 PA 368,  
MCL 333.2495.  
R 325.13001 Definitions.  
Rule 1. As used in these rules:  
(a) "Code" means 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.1101.  
(b) "Health officer" means the administrative officer of a city, county, district, or  
associated health department who is appointed by the local governing entity or, in the case  
of a district health department, by the district board of health and who is responsible for  
the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a public health program designed to  
prevent disease and disability and to promote health. A health officer shall be a medical  
health officer or administrative health officer. If the health officer is not a physician, a  
medical director shall also be employed who is responsible to the health officer for medical  
decisions.  
(c) "Local health department" means local health department as defined in section 1105  
of the code.  
(d) "Medical director" means a physician who qualifies as a medical health officer but  
who is employed by a local governing entity or, in the case of a district health department,  
by the district board of health to provide direction in the formulation of medical public  
health policy and program operation. A medical director shall be responsible for  
developing and carrying out medical policies, procedures, and standing orders and for  
advising the administrative health officer on matters related to medical specialty  
judgments.  
(e) "Public health administrator" means a person who is responsible for developing and  
implementing good administrative practices and policies for a local health department and  
its programs.  
(f) "Public health physician advisor" means a physician who is responsible for providing  
public health medical consultation and advice to persons serving under provisional or  
acting appointments as medical health officers, administrative health officers, or medical  
directors.  
History: 1980 AACS; 2011 AACS.  
R 325.13002 Medical health officer; qualifications.  
Rule 2. A medical health officer shall be a physician licensed in Michigan as an M.D. or  
D.O. who complies with 1 of the following requirements:  
(a) Is board certified in preventive medicine or public health.  
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(b) Has an M.P.H. or M.S.P.H. degree and not less than 2 years of full-time public health  
practice.  
(c) Has an unexpired provisional appointment issued by the department under the  
authority of MCL 325.2495, provided the appointment was issued before the effective date  
of these rules.  
History: 1980 AACS; 2011 AACS.  
R 325.13003 Administrative health officer; qualifications.  
Rule 3. An administrative health officer shall comply with 1 of the following  
requirements:  
(a) Have an M.P.H. or M.S.P.H. degree and 3 years of full-time public health  
administrative experience.  
(b) Have a related graduate degree and 5 years of full-time public health administrative  
experience.  
(c) Have a bachelor's degree and 8 years of full-time public health experience, 5 years of  
which shall have been in the administration of a broad range of public health programs.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13004 Medical director; qualifications.  
Rule 4. A medical director shall have the same qualifications as a medical health officer.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13004a Medical director; requirements.  
Rule 4a. A medical director shall comply with all of the following requirements:  
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this rule, a medical director shall devote his  
or her full time to the needs of a local health department.  
(b) For purposes of this rule, "full time" means 32 hours or more per week.  
(c) If a local health department serves a population of not more than 250,000 and cannot  
obtain full time medical direction, the time may be reduced to not less than 16 hours per  
week. This exception does not apply if the medical director is covering 3 or more local  
health departments, even if the combined population served is not more than 250,000.  
Medical directors covering 3 or more local health departments must be full time, regardless  
of the total combined population.  
History: 2011 AACS.  
R 325.13005 Public health administrator; qualifications.  
Rule 5. A public health administrator shall comply with either of the following  
requirements:  
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(a) Have an M.P.H. or M.S.P.H. degree, or equivalent graduate degree, and 3 years of  
full-time administrative experience.  
(b) Have a bachelor's degree and 5 years of full-time public health administrative  
experience.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13006 Public health physician advisor; qualifications.  
Rule 6. A public health physician advisor shall be a physician licensed in Michigan as an  
M.D. or D.O. who complies with either of the following requirements:  
(a) Is board certified in preventative medicine or public health.  
(b) Has an M.P.H. or M.S.P.H. degree and 3 years of public health experience.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13007 Provisional appointments; medical health officers; administrative  
health officers; medical directors.  
Rule 7. (1) A provisional appointment of a medical health officer, medical director, or  
administrative health officer may be made for a period of not more than 3 years, if an  
arrangement satisfactory to the state health director is made for the fulfillment of the  
appropriate qualifications specified in these rules, and if during such time a qualified public  
health physician advisor is appointed.  
(2) A provisional medical health officer or medical director shall be a physician licensed  
in Michigan as an M.D. or D.O., but with less than the necessary qualifications for  
permanent appointment as specified in these rules.  
(3) A provisional administrative health officer shall have an M.P.H., M.S.P.H., or  
equivalent graduate degree, or a bachelor's degree in a health-related field and not less than  
3 years of public health experience.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13008 Acting health officers; medical directors; appointments.  
Rule 8. (1) If a health officer position is vacant, the local governing entity or in the case  
of a district health department the district board of health shall appoint an acting health  
officer. If a medical director position is vacant, the health officer shall appoint an acting  
medical director. Such appointments shall be for 6 months, subject to the approval of the  
state health director, and may be renewed upon his approval. Approval shall be based on  
the performance of the individual and the efforts being made to hire a qualified, permanent,  
full-time person.  
(2) If the person appointed to the position of acting health officer or acting medical  
director does not meet the appropriate qualifications specified in these rules, an  
arrangement shall be made for consultation and advice. This may be provided without  
charge by the state department of public health or, subject to approval of the state health  
director, through local arrangement by a person meeting the appropriate qualifications.  
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History: 1980 AACS.  
R 325.13009 Rescission.  
Rule 9. R 327.47 of the Michigan Administrative Code, appearing on pages 7918 and  
7919 of the 1979 Annual Supplement to the Code, is rescinded.  
History: 1980 AACS.  
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